T.J.watts Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 I'm making a kukri for a guy that will most likely be using it in Africa. He has requested spalted maple burl for the handle. It's a hidden tang and I'm wondering if the burl will hold up to a 9" kukri. I don't want a military guys weapon to fail in use and I'm wondering if I should use cocobolo or some other hardwood. What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 Spalted maple is slightly weaker than regular maple, but i think it should hold up fine. to get a piece that is both spalted and burled seems pretty difficult though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.J.watts Posted November 9, 2016 Author Share Posted November 9, 2016 Texas knife maker supply carries the spalted burl. I just want to be sure I'm handing him a quality knife that isn't going to fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kozzy Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 Not all spalted is the same. One piece can be quite a bit punkier than another. I've seen some which you could break like it was totally rotten and some which was fairly solid...but not hard. By nature it's not hard and using burl can actually make the breakage possibility worse. So...for a rough service knife, I personally would avoid it. However, you have to give him what he wants so I'd look into stabilization techniques. If you can't trust the wood to be superior, you can make it superior via chemicals (like epoxy encapsulation under vacuum). I've heard some people who say they get superior results with "super glue" because it's thin and penetrates well..plus polishes to a nice shine. One friend uses it for the finish on all his custom pool cues (which sell for about $ 2500 ea on an 18 month waiting list) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.J.watts Posted November 9, 2016 Author Share Posted November 9, 2016 The stuff I'm looking at is stabilized but I wasn't sure it would hold up. I've discussed it with him and he told me to do what's best but I wanted to try and give him what he asked for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TacticallySharp Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 I would use G10 liners and corby bolts to beef up the stabilized burl. Also use GFlex epoxy. While slow to cure it has some of the best adhesion properties I've found to date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 As a general note about epoxy glues, the faster the cure the weaker the glue. PERIOD. If you have time you can improve strength by using a LITTLE less catalyst but don't get carried away, 24hr. epoxy is usually stronger than a human being can break. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.J.watts Posted November 10, 2016 Author Share Posted November 10, 2016 Thank you for the info gentleman. I'll post the blade when it's done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.